Guardian Australia fails to understand the Aussie dollar and how Sony sells its PS4

AS you may or may not know The Guardian has just started up an online section devoted to Australia. And it’s terribly comforting to know that even on the other side of the world the lefties are subject to the same damn delusions as they are here. For example, we’ve got a complaint about how the Sony PS 4 is going to be more expensive in Oz that it is in other countries:

All that, and it cost $100 USD less, too, coming in at $399. It seemed like Sony could do no wrong. But for all this fanfare and literal standing ovation, there’s a problem for Australian gamers. The PS4 is set to retail at a tooth-grindingly expensive $549 because of… reasons? That’s too much. I’ve checked. You can too. Sony haven’t explained their unique pricing structure yet, but it seems like a fairly arbitrary dollop of Australian tax.

It’s not quite comparing like with like. Aussie prices are quoted inclusive of the 10% GST, their version of VAT, while US prices are always quoted exclusive of sales tax. And there is a (small) difference in the value of the US $ and the AUS $.

But it is still true that Australians are going to be charged more for their Sony PS4 (and also for their Microsoft Xbox One) than people in other countries are. And the reason is very simple.

Because the companies think they can.

They are, after all, blood sucking capitalist enterprises. They’re out to make the maximum for their shareholders that they can. If they think they can charge some group of people more than another group then they will. There just is no such thing as a “just price”, or a fair one. There’s only what anyone thinks someone else will pay. And they think that Australians will pay more: so they charge them more. That’s it.

Now, why they think this is another matter. Maybe it’s the stupidity of descent from criminals. Perhaps it’s because people in Australia are generally richer than people here in Europe (or even in the US). Perhaps it’s having to stand on your head all the time. But whatever the reason the companies are charging bludgers more for their electronic gimcrackery simply because the companies think they can get away with it, no other reason at all.